Motorcycle speedway world championship season
The 1978 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 33rd edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3][4][5]
Ole Olsen won his third world crown. The final was sponsored by the Sunday Mirror and was attended by 86,500. Gordon Kennett took silver on the day of his 25th birthday and American Scott Autrey won the bronze medal run-off defeating Dave Jessup and Jerzy Rembas.[6] Dave Jessup was effectively denied a World title when after leading in heat 3 he suffered a bike malfunction and finished last in the heat. He then scored 11 points from his remaining rides which would have been enough to take the crown if he had won heat 3.[7]
Qualification results.[8][9]
Third round
Continental quarter-finals
- Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
British qualifying round
The British qualifying rounds for the World Championship doubled up as qualifying rounds for the Volkswagen/Daily Mirror Grand Prix. Therefore, many non-British riders rode in these meetings scoring points towards the Volkswagen/Daily Mirror Grand Prix qualification - but their scores didn't count towards World Championship qualification. The top 32 British riders qualified for the british semi-finals.
Date
|
Venue
|
Winner
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
11 May |
Wimbledon Stadium, London |
Peter Collins |
Bob Kilby |
Dave Jessup
|
11 May |
Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield |
Ivan Mauger |
Doug Wyer |
Steve Bastable
|
12 May |
Hackney Wick Stadium, London |
Dave Jessup |
Terry Betts |
Finn Thomsen
|
13 May |
Hyde Road, Manchester |
Peter Collins |
Chris Morton |
Bobby Beaton
|
13 May |
King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn |
Michael Lee |
John Titman |
Malcolm Simmons
|
13 May |
Brandon Stadium, Coventry |
Alan Molyneux |
Keith White |
Billy Sanders
|
15 May |
Smallmead Stadium, Reading |
Gordon Kennett |
Billy Sanders |
John Davis
|
15 May |
County Ground Stadium, Exeter |
Phil Crump |
Václav Verner |
Mike Farrell
|
15 May |
Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, Birmingham |
Ray Wilson |
John Titman |
Mike Lanham
|
16 May |
Leicester Stadium, Leicester |
Scott Autrey |
John Titman |
Les Collins
|
17 May |
Wimborne Road, Poole |
Tony Davey |
Václav Verner |
Malcolm Simmons
|
17 May |
White City Stadium, London |
Kai Niemi |
Gordon Kennett |
Ila Teromaa
|
17 May |
The Boulevard, Hull |
Ivan Mauger |
Bobby Beaton |
Graham Drury
|
18 May |
Abbey Stadium, Swindon |
Peter Collins |
Jan Andersson |
Dave Perks
|
18 May |
Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich |
John Louis |
Michael Lee |
Tony Davey
|
19 May |
Monmore Green, Wolverhampton |
Gordon Kennett |
Hans Nielsen |
Jim McMillan
|
19 May |
Knowle Stadium, Bristol |
Joe Owen |
Tormod Langli |
Reg Wilson
|
20 May |
Dudley Wood Stadium, Dudley |
Alan Grahame |
John Davis |
Bruce Cribb
|
20 May |
The Shay, Halifax |
Eric Broadbelt |
Ian Cartwright |
Phil Collins
|
Finland Final
Pos. |
Rider |
Total
|
1 |
Kai Niemi |
14
|
2 |
Ilkka Teromaa |
13
|
3 |
Rauli Mäkinen |
12
|
4 |
Seppo Palomäki |
12
|
5 |
Markku Helminen |
11
|
6 |
Pekka Paljakka |
10
|
7 |
Pekka Hautamäki |
9
|
8 |
Timo Kiansten |
8
|
9 |
Olli Turkia |
8
|
10 |
Veijo Tuoriniemi |
6
|
11 |
Veli Pekka Kunelius |
6
|
12 |
Ari Koponen |
3
|
13 |
Keijo Mylläri |
3
|
14 |
Esa Mattila |
3
|
15 |
Raimo Posti |
2
|
16 |
Jorma Karjalainen |
0
|
Norwegian Final
3 riders to Nordic Final
Swedish Final
Danish Final
Australian Final
New Zealand Final
Pos. |
Rider |
Heat Scores |
Total
|
1 |
Larry Ross |
3,3,3,3,3 |
15
|
2 |
Barry Briggs |
2,3,3,2,2 |
12
|
3 |
Mike Fullerton |
1,3,2,3,3 |
12
|
4 |
Mitch Shirra |
3,2,E,3,3 |
11
|
5 |
Roger Wright |
2,3,3,1,2 |
11
|
6 |
Colin Tucker |
3,2,2,2,2 |
11
|
7 |
Colin Farquharson |
1,1,3,2,3 |
10
|
8 |
James Moore |
3,1,0,0,2 |
6
|
9 |
Allan Brown |
0,0,2,3,1 |
6
|
10 |
Greg Joynt |
1,2,2,0,0 |
5
|
11 |
Paul Fewinks |
2,2,0,1,F |
5
|
12 |
Max Brown |
F,0,1,2,1 |
4
|
13 |
Gavin Miller |
2,1,1,0,0 |
4
|
14 |
Cliff Anderson |
0,0,1,1,1 |
3
|
15 |
Patrick Pawson |
1,E,1,1,0 |
3
|
16 |
Kris Berrigan |
0,1,0,0,1 |
2
|
Fourth round
British semi-finals
American selection
- No qualifying, the AMA selected two riders to represent the USA in the Intercontinental final.
Australasian Final
Pos. |
Rider |
Heat Scores |
Total
|
1 |
Mitch Shirra |
2,2,3,3,3 |
13
|
2 |
Mick McKeon |
3,3,2.5,2,1 |
11.5
|
3 |
John Titman |
2,3,T,3,3 |
11
|
4 |
Mike Farrell |
3,1,1,3,3 |
11
|
5 |
Mike Fullerton |
1,3,3,1,2 |
10
|
6 |
Phil Herne |
1,2,2,3,2 |
10
|
7 |
John Boulger |
3,3,2,T,1 |
9
|
8 |
Billy Sanders |
3,T,3,F,3 |
9
|
9 |
Colin Farquharson |
0,2,2,2,2 |
8
|
10 |
Roger Wright |
1,1,2.5,1,1 |
6.5
|
11 |
Robert Maxfield |
1,1,1,2,1 |
6
|
12 |
Larry Ross |
2,E,E,2,2 |
6
|
13 |
James Moore |
2,1,1,1,0 |
5
|
14 |
Colin Tucker |
0,2,1,0,0 |
3
|
15 |
Allan Brown |
0,0,0,0,0 |
0
|
16 |
Lloyd Cross |
F,-,-,-,- |
0
|
R1 |
Greg Joynt |
0,0,1,T |
1
|
R2 |
Cliff Anderson |
0,0,0 |
0
|
Nordic Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •
t - exclusion for touching the tapes •
x - other exclusion •
e - retired or mechanical failure •
f - fell •
ns - non-starter •
nc - non-classify
gate A - inside
|
gate B
|
gate C
|
gate D - outside
|
Continental semi-finals
Fifth round
British Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •
t - exclusion for touching the tapes •
x - other exclusion •
e - retired or mechanical failure •
f - fell •
ns - non-starter •
nc - non-classify
gate A - inside
|
gate B
|
gate C
|
gate D - outside
|
Continental Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •
t - exclusion for touching the tapes •
x - other exclusion •
e - retired or mechanical failure •
f - fell •
ns - non-starter •
nc - non-classify
gate A - inside
|
gate B
|
gate C
|
gate D - outside
|
Intercontinental Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •
t - exclusion for touching the tapes •
x - other exclusion •
e - retired or mechanical failure •
f - fell •
ns - non-starter •
nc - non-classify
gate A - inside
|
gate B
|
gate C
|
gate D - outside
|
World Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •
t - exclusion for touching the tapes •
x - other exclusion •
e - retired or mechanical failure •
f - fell •
ns - non-starter •
nc - non-classify
gate A - inside
|
gate B
|
gate C
|
gate D - outside
|